Colorado Will Have The First Overall Selection At This Summer's Draft After Winning The NHL Draft Lottery

TORONTO – The Colorado Avalanche will have the No. 1 overall selection at the 2013 NHL Draft after winning the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday night. The 2013 NHL Draft will be held on Sunday, June 30, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The Avalanche, which finished 29th out of 30 teams this past season, entered the lottery with an 18.8% chance of winning. Florida had the best chance at 25.0%. All 14 clubs not qualifying for the playoffs were eligible to win the first overall pick.

“This is an exciting night for our organization and our fans,” said Avalanche Director of Amateur Scouting Richard Pracey. “Having the first overall pick allows us to add an elite prospect to an already solid group of young players.”

Colorado will make the No. 1 overall selection for the first time since the team moved from Quebec prior to the 1995-96 season. The Avalanche/Nordiques franchise has drafted first overall on three previous occasions: 1989 (Mats Sundin), 1990 (Owen Nolan) and 1991 (Eric Lindros).

The Avalanche’s previous high draft pick came in 2011 when the club selected Gabriel Landeskog with the second overall choice.